Presidency spokesperson Vincent Magwenya has confirmed that South Africa will allow the yacht owned by Russian tycoon Alexey Mordashov to dock in Cape Town on Thursday, 27 October.
This, after City of Cape Town Mayor Geordin Hill-Lewis had written to the Department of International Relations and Cooperation (DIRCO) Minister Naledi Pandor seeking to block the yacht.
RUSSIAN YACHT WILL BE ALLOWED TO DOCK IN CAPE TOWN
The R9 billion superyacht belonging to Russian oligarch Alexe Mordashov departed Hong Kong last week, bound for Cape Town. It is believed that Mordashov is aboard the vessel and intends to enter South Africa through the port of Cape Town.
Mordashov is reportedly chairman of the company Severgroup, which is a major shareholder of Bank Rossiya, of which he personally owns a considerable share and is the main shareholder and chairman of Severstal, Russia’s biggest steel company.
In his letter, Hill-Lewis said South Africa has a moral duty to do what it can to protest unjust war, state terrorism, and the gross violation of human rights saying the country ought to stand up against expansionist imperialism wherever it rears its ugly head. This is especially so, in light of the South Africa’s own painful history of imperialism.
Hill-Lewis said the international community has recognised Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and its annexation of four areas of Ukrainian territory by force as illegal.
“Clear evidence exists for war crimes and crimes against humanity having been committed by the Russian state against the Ukrainian people, including deliberate attacks against civilian targets, massacres of civilians, torture, and the rape of women and children. Many thousands of people have died and many more have had their homes destroyed and lives torn apart,” he said.
Magwenya said there is no reason to prevent the entry of individuals who abide by the country’s immigration.
“South African obligations with respect to sanctions relate to only those specifically adopted by the United Nations. Currently there are no UN imposed sanctions on the particular individual, therefore South Africa has no legal obligation to abide by sanctions that the US and EU have decided to impose within specific jurisdictions,” Magwenya said.
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By Khamisi
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